"Sexy Suspense at it's Best"

Karen Robards has another winner with WHISPERS AT MIDNIGHT. Following on the heels of last year's scary, yet hilarious TO TRUST A STRANGER Robards has given readers another book that will keep them up until late at night rapidly turning pages.

The secret to Robards success is giving readers a couple to root for, with both members being likable and competent. Carly Linton is a quintessential Robards heroine--having survived a bitter divorce and the subsequent loss of her business, she has bounced back with a plan to open a bed and breakfast in her hometown. Returning to the old Victorian home she grew up in, she is greeted by the sight of a tight pair of buns exiting the crawlspace under the front porch. The nice rear end belongs to Matt Converse who has gone from bad boy to Sheriff of Benton, GA. Since Matt had taken her virginity on Prom night and then ignored her, neither his face or rear end are a popular sight to Carly. Matt greets her with "Hi Curls" and acts happy to see her, but Carly initially wants nothing to do with him.

It is quickly perceived that Carly is in danger in Benton from more then Matt's roving hands. Matt is thrust into a role of protector as he tries to solve the mystery of the disappearance of a Benton woman, while keeping Carly alive. A link is eventually discovered between the two women and the ending is a thrill ride that will leave readers who have claustrophobia shuddering.

In a less deft author's hands Matt Converse might seem initially to be somewhat of a jerk. Carly calls his technique 'Kiss and Run,' but there is a good reason for Matt's commitment phobia. He has raised his three young sisters and is about to be free of responsibility for the first time since his late teens. He wants to get on his Harley and ride as far from Benton as he can. But, Carly complicates this plan and any romance reader worth her salt will know that Matt is never going to make it past the town limits.

Robards has a real gift when it comes to male and family dialogue. Matt's relationship with his sisters is a pleasure to read and the snappy comebacks ring true. Carly is never afraid to say what she thinks and their repartee is quick and often funny. Robards grounds this couple well in the town. The friendships between Matt and his deputy and Carly and her partner, Sandra, are fun and ring true. These are characters with depth, who are not lone wolves; but are true members of a community and family.

WHISPERS AT MIDNIGHT also contains lots of HOT sex and in between lots of thinking about hot sex.

WHISPERS AT MIDNIGHT was a book I couldn't put down, but I wouldn't recommend reading the last couple of chapters right before bedtime, as they are really intense and scary. Robards is one of three or four authors that I buy in hardback and she is one autobuy that rarely disappoints.

Reviewed by Linda Hurst
Posted April 22, 2003

From New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards, whom Newsweek magazine calls "one of the most popular voices in women's fiction," comes a thrilling new novel of romantic suspense set in a sultry small southern town.

Summary

Carly Linton is hell-bent on starting over. After a bruising divorce, she moves back to her tiny hometown of Benton, Georgia, to start up a bed-and-breakfast in the old house she inherited from her grandmother. The whole town remembers her as the proverbial good girl, but Carly is tired of being good—she's ready to walk on the wide side, and she knows exactly where she wants to start.

Matt Converse, the town's former bad boy, is now the local sheriff and a pillar of the community. But he hasn't forgotten his wild days, or the magical night of the senior prom he shared with Carly years ago. When Carly's dog unearths a dead body on her property, Matt is forced to spend time there, and Carly decides to use her newfound wiles to seduce him. But when someone breaks into Carly's house and tries to take her away, Matt is the only person who can protect her from a mysterious enemy who's making it all too clear that Carly should never have come back to Benton.